General comment on tactics (to be placed in the tactics of strategies to Objective 3).

 

"Hizbawi Imbita"

 

The mission of Ethiopian Democracy is not to wage an armed struggle or to overthrow the EPRDF regime. The mission is to “Establish a government that is elected by the people and is accountable to the people” (http://aboutethiopia.com/EthDemo/Total-Mission-Goal-Objective%20system.htm). The goal of Ethiopian Democracy is not to wage an armed struggle or to overthrow the EPRDF regime.  Ethiopian Democracy has "political and administrative goal" and "economic and social goal".  The objectives or the strategies of Ethiopian Democracy are twelve and do not include waging an armed struggle or overthrowing the EPRDF regime.  All the mission-goals-objectives- strategies (http://aboutethiopia.com/EthDemo/ED5-strategies.htm) are aimed at is translating into actions the ideals enshrined in the mission of Ethiopian Democracy.  In attempting to translate into work the rights of individuals to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, and the right to own property and land, including the respect of one-person-vote democracy which are enshrined in the mission of Ethiopian Democracy, we find that these precepts and ideals are at odds with the goals-objectives-strategies-tactics stipulated in the Revolutionary Democracy (http://aboutethiopia.com/a10-RD.htm) executed by the ethnic-centered TPLF/EPRDF Regime, and by its military apparatus.

 

Ethiopian Democracy asserts that no individual will have a preferential advantage on the basis of ethnic origin or religion. In contrast, ethnic-centered parties want to place themselves as governors in order to enrich themselves and their associates as practiced by the TPLF Leadership.   The TPLF Leadership promised to implement the divisive concept of attaining equality of ethnic groups as a means for ascending to power.  It continues to preach the validity of ethnic-centered politics, because such politics would continue to divide its opposition and help it to stay in power.  Some in the opposition camp are ethnic-centered parties, who basically wish to replace the TPLF with their brand of ethnic-party.  Certainly, Ethiopia cannot benefit by replacing the governance of one-ethnic-centered party by another. Such was the verdict of the overwhelming majority of the twenty seven millions who went to the voting booths on May 15, 2005, and voted to empower the pan-Ethiopian Kinjit Party in preference to all ethnic-centered parties and coalitions of ethnic-centered parties such as the TPLF/EPRDF.  Accordingly, the tactics used in Ethiopian Democracy are going to require a steady education about Ethiopian Democracy to all Ethiopians including those in the ruling ethnic-centered party and others in the opposition both in Ethiopia and in the Diaspora. The tactics should not include any irrational animosity towards the ruling or the opposition parties for these ethnic-centered parties resulted from the wrong-headed political commotion of the 1960’s and 70’s that afflicted Ethiopia. However, there should be a firm and resolute “Hizbawi Imbita” to ethnic-centered governance wherever that divisive politics surfaces.  

 

It is to be emphasized that because the TPLF/EPRDF did not respect the vote of May 15, 2005, it is an illegal government. Moreover, the military arrangement in Ethiopia should uphold the principles of Ethiopian Democracy and not that of the Revolutionary Democracy of the ethnic-centered TPLF/EPRDF. Ethiopian Democracy offers tactics, which can be utilized to place a governance in Ethiopia that respects the votes of the people?  Those who wish to pursue nonviolent means of struggle should share the instrument called Ethiopian Democracy with everybody including with members of the armed services and the police.

 

Tactic A.   All personnel of armed forces and the police who support Ethiopian Democracy should stay in their units and try to implement the purposes of Ethiopian Democracy.

 

Tactic B.  Those personnel of the armed forces and the police who find it impossible to work under the services of TPLF’s organizations should stay within Ethiopia and form their own form of struggle or join other pan-Ethiopian resistance forces who are engaged in removing TPLF's  tyranny by all means necessary.  They have to recognize that they are fighting to get the votes of Ethiopians respected, which means that they have to empower the Kinijit Party to take the leadership of a transitional government after they have removed TPLF’s tyrannical regime.

 

Tactic C. All Ethiopians should participate in the “Hizbawi Imbita” judiciously.  They should try to protect their lives from the wrath of TPLF’s tyranny but must use all nonviolent means of struggle, including abstaining from purchasing any items produced by the TPLF and its industries, delaying or stopping the implementation of orders given by the TPLF and its agencies, etc., while supporting the purchase of goods and services from agencies that are known to work consistent with the principles of Ethiopian Democracy.

 

As people engage in the nonviolent form of struggle of  Hizbawi Imbita”, others who also  ascribe to Ethiopian Democracy and whose purpose is to get the vote of May 15, 2005 respected may elect to pursue armed struggle as a means of persuading the TPLF/EPRDF to respect the voters.  Indeed people have the right to raise arms to rectify the harm imposed on them or on others (John Locke, see in http://aboutethiopia.com/c12-preemption-is-a-false-right.htm).  A word of caution: an armed struggle is not waged for its own sake. There may be many who would join in an armed struggle to attain goals different from the principles stated in Ethiopian Democracy. It is wrong to support any armed struggle which is not aimed at enshrining Ethiopian Democracy. Armed struggle by ethnic-centered groups should be opposed by those who pursue Ethiopian Democracy for there is no justifiable mission, goal, objective, or strategy that is shared between those who wish to build a pan-Ethiopian society based on one-person-vote governance and others who seek ethnic-centered governance.  Ethnic-centered armies are armies of division and do not struggle for the individual rights of all Ethiopians no matter the ethnic-origin.  They fight to empower ethnic-centered party leaders in the name of the people from their ethnic-origin.

 

It may sound contradictory to support nonviolent form of struggle without rejecting armed struggle. However, the case in Ethiopia has reached the level where people have to engage in any form they see fit to protect their lives, liberties, and freedoms. All Ethiopians should rally behind the nonviolent movement or the pan-Ethiopian armed forces who clearly stand for respecting the vote of Ethiopians made in May 15, 2005 , and who accept the Kinijit Party as it was overwhelmingly elected by the people.  Mr. Zenawi is a usurper for he was voted out of office by the overwhelming majority of the twenty seven million Ethiopians who went to the voting booths. He had  committed treason when he gave away the inhabitants and territories of coastal regions and  islands of Ethiopia to the EPLF guerilla unit, and he had  committed genocide when he ordered the murder of more than 193 Ethiopians after the May 15, 2005 elections, and thousands of others in  Gambella, Welega, Arsi ,Wolqayit-Tsegede and Welo.

 

HG: 2/27/2007